Published: December 04, 2006 11:22 pm      

College leaders meet to unveil joint Web site

BELLEFONTE — A regional approach to higher education got another boost Monday when leaders of seven area universities and community colleges unveiled a joint Web site and signed a cooperative agreement to encourage more people to go to college.

The Web site is a way for seven institutions in three states with more than 1,200 academic programs among them to display their offerings in an organized way, said Gregory Adkins, president of Ashland Community and Technical College.

The focus is on enhancing access to higher education, especially for students in the Tri-State area, said Ohio University President Roderick J. McDavis. “Educate the Tri-State is a rising tide,” he said.

The Web site, www.educatethetristate.com, includes links to all seven institutions and search functions for exploring career and academic program options.

Because of the complexity and number of choices, access to higher education remains a challenge to many potential students, said Rita Rice Morris, president of Shawnee State University in Portsmouth.

The Web site serves as recognition of that and attempts to clear a path for students, she said.

Besides links to all seven institutions — ACTC, Shawnee, OU, Morehead State University, Marshall University, Marshall Community and Technical College and Rio Grande Community College — the site includes search functions for career options, degrees and programs, and colleges and universities, explained Charles P. Bird, vice president for University Outreach and Regional Campuses for OU.

For instance, a potential student could search careers by choosing one from a drop-down list and then clicking through to a program of studies and the colleges where they’re offered.

Also, by using the search functions, students may find unexpected options, Bird said. “They may discover things they may not have known about.”

The information is particularly valuable in an area where most of the seven institutions have interlocking tuition reciprocity and transfer agreements, and where more such agreements are in the works.

Other links go to information about financial aid and other essential information.

The site will enable students to determine which institution will meet their needs and how well, said MSU Provost Michael Moore.

The site, while up and running, is a work in progress, said Joe Nilles, ACTC’s webmaster. Further development will be done with input from area high school guidance counselors among others, he said.

It should be fully functional by spring, he said.

The Web site and the gathering are part of the multiversity concept of numerous constituent and affiliated institutions such as separate colleges, campuses and research centers, with a goal of enhancing educational opportunities in the region.

The cooperative spirit is essential in the global economy because a competent workforce has to be homegrown, said Marshall President Stephen Kopp.

MIKE JAMES can be reached at mjames@dailyindependent.com or at (606) 326-2652.